We're Not Monsters
by knittcapkneepad
Summary: They belonged to a family once and children loved them. Before the disappearances and before the breakdown. Before the night a man took away their lives. [Origin story] [Complete]
1. Our Beginnings

_I got the idea from listening to 'The Living Tombstone's "Five Nights at Freddy's" song. If you haven't heard it, you should definitely check it out. Enjoy!_

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He remembered everything.

Sometimes, if he tried hard enough, he could remember things before the chip had been activated- things he shouldn't have known: the reason Fred purchased the diner. The look on Maria's face when Fred told her they were building a stage. The first time Maria made a pizza from scratch and the way the smoke billowed and engulfed the freshly painted walls- well, Fred didn't like that color anyways.

He was Fred's biggest dream, an aficionado since childhood of machinery and wonderment. He started as a rough sketch on the back of a cheap napkin. Maria always supported Fred even when others expressed their doubts. Sometimes, she was the only one cheering him on when defeat seemed inevitable.

Years went by and money seemed to disappear at the expense of keeping the diner running. Little by little, Fred saved his dollars, looking at the crude sketch on a crumpled napkin he had tried so hard not to discard in light of pursuing more realistic dreams. Today was the day. Bolt by bolt, beam by beam, Fred was ready. He built him with his own hands. He didn't believe it would be right for someone else to construct him, for someone else to build _his_ dream. Fred made him his own, gave him the gift of life. That's what made him a piece of the family.

Fred built the endoskeleton among the castles of bolts and tools and- where did that wrench go?- all the while, Maria sat at the stage and sewed the suit. She hummed a tune, he remembered. Sometimes he hummed it, too, years later when all he had left to his name were the kingdoms of dust and ruin he called home.

But, at last, he was ready.

"What's that?" Maria asked as she sat down at the front table with their evening meal. Her eyes were quick to her husband's childlike awe that focused upon the parcel in his hands.

"It's a data-chip," he told her, proudly. "It'll make him different, one of a kind. He'll be able to interact with children. Not like those stupid buckets of bolts at Henry's place. It's a step towards the future, Maria. He'll be the first of his kind, and he'll have our name behind him."

"If he's going to be as smart as you think, maybe we'll just have robot staff and cut out all the lazy teenagers," Maria joked with a soft smile.

The next morning, Fred and Maria went to the diner early to insert the data-chip, the core of memory and intelligence that would make him who he was meant to be.

And just like that, he was alive.

"What should we call him?" Fred asked.

Surprised, Maria turned to her husband. "All these years and you never thought of a name?"

"I always just called him Fred junior." Fred said as he bound off the stage to take a good look at the machine he built. "Thought when the time came, we could call him something else. Something the kid's will like."

Thoughtfully, Maria looked up at stage. "Why not Freddy?"

"Really?"

"He's our first child, Fred. We made him, didn't we? You deserve this, and I don't want to hear another word about it," Maria warned as she swayed her hip into her husband.

"All right," Fred beamed. With an arm about his wife, he looked up at the smiling bear and with a chest full of pride and happiness, he said:

"Welcome to the Fazbear family, Freddy."

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Word of the animatronic's arrival at the Fazbear diner spread faster than wildfire. Soon, a plethora of children and adults alike came to the diner just to see Freddy in action and it was the cooking that got them to stay. Fred and Maria soon found themselves with more money than they knew what to do with. The diner became improved, repairs and renovations became commonplace. The building expanded and made room for more of Fred's handiwork.

But not before Freddy met another one of Fred's creations.

"Can you say 'hi'?" Fred asked while bouncing the baby in his arms. "Say 'hi', Maggie. Say 'hi' to Freddy!"

She was small and fast asleep in her father's arms, but Freddy felt something he had not felt before. Hundreds of children came through the diner doors. He danced with them, made them laugh, hugged them- but this child was different. When Fred finally turned to help Maria elsewhere, Freddy felt the need to follow. He felt the need to be there. When Maggie cried, Freddy felt distress. It wasn't enough for him to watch her from afar as over time she learned to bounce, crawl, teeter, and toddle. She needed to be cared for, Maggie needed someone to look after her when her parents weren't looking.

One day, while Fred and Maria finished clean-up in the kitchen, Freddy watched as Maggie toddled toward the stage. With such little fists, she pulled herself up the stairs, scooting across floorboards that only built dust balls against her purple skirts. Curiously, Maggie crawled closer to the stage's edge, peering down between the cracks in the floorboards. Further and further she leaned before suddenly, she slipped over the edge.

Tumbling down, destined for a hard fall, Maggie gasped, but before her head hit the banquet floor she froze midair.

Her feet dangled, swinging back and forth as she was lifted high into the air and back onto the stage. When her feet met the floorboards, she turned and looked up to see Freddy slowly moving his hands back toward his sides.

For a while, they stared at one another. The silence between them was heavy as Freddy didn't know how to react. He had never broken his rehearsed dance, never stepped out of line and engaged a human after hours.

"Hi, Freddy."

A wide smile set itself between Maggie's full cheeks as she laughed and danced in step beneath the weight of his shadow.

With happiness in his wires, Freddy tipped his hat and said fondly back, "Hello there, Maggie."

And with that, Freddy and Maggie became secret best friends. While her parents tended to the diner and the future creation of other animatronics, Freddy cared for Maggie. They would sing, dance, and play all day and all night- so long as no one else was watching. When school let out, Maggie would race to her family diner, just to tell Freddy all about the things she was learning.

True happiness was found in the Fazbear diner, the kind Freddy would never be able to forget.

Just like how he would never forget the tragedy that stole his happiness away.

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_I hope you enjoyed! Let me know what you think. If it's something people are interested in I'll get to work on the next chapter! Thank you for reading! _


	2. New Arrival

_I had a lot of fun writing this one. After talking to someone about my plans for this story, I couldn't wait to get to writing it. Thank you everyone for reading, hope you enjoy! _

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"Hurry up, Freddy!" Maggie laughed through a toothless grin. While she raced onward through the banquet hall, the large-bodied animatronic gave a clumsy chase behind her. "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up!"

"Miss Maggie, you shouldn't run!" Freddy emptily warned. It was difficult for him to convey anger when Mr. Fazbear made his voice to be so very whimsical and friendly, but still he tried. The more time he spent with Maggie, the easier it was for him to process the array of emotions that he was not born with. In time, maybe he, too, could be as expressive as the little handful that kept shouting at him.

Pitter-pattering back toward the colossal bear, Maggie threw her arms about his hand and tugged him along. "You need to hurry! Before my dad gets back!"

"What is it you mean to show me?" Freddy warily asked as he pretended to be pulled along by the small girl.

At last, they stopped before a pair of curtains drawn closed. A sign hung from the ceiling that marked the twisting and flowing words of Maria's handwriting. 'Coming soon!' it said. Mrs. Fazbear's enthusiasm sang through the elegant cursive that Freddy found himself admiring. With an excited bounce in her step, Maggie approached the curtains and told her companion, "Daddy wanted to keep it a surprise for me, but I found it this morning before I left for school."

With fistfuls of satin in her hands, Maggie drew back the curtains and looked up at Freddy with excitement. His expression was lost for only a moment as he stared into a set of hollow eyes—well, _one_ hollow eye. He took a step forward and then another.

"What… is it?"

"Mommy said it was for the older kids, to tell them stories. She told me when she was my age, she read stories about pirates and treasure—"

"Pirates?"

"—and daddy said that kids like pirates so—he made him!"

"Who is 'him'?" Freddy asked, stepping onto the small stage littered with cutouts of waves and palm trees. He neared that hollow eye, peering in to see if life buzzed in the wires and bolts. Was he awake? Was he _alive_?

Maggie bit her lips in thought. "Uhm. I don't know."

"Has he been activated?" Freddy asked, prying back the skin of the suit to curiously spy at the metalworking underneath.

With a roll of her shoulders, Maggie sat on the ground to watch Freddy and her soon to be new friend.

Against the slit of the central beam, Freddy found the switch. Gripping back wires and threads of the animatronic's suit, the bear prepped the activation sequence.

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_Brrrr… kip…zzzzzzzzp…brr..ch… blip_

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Freddy stepped off the stage and returned to Maggie's side. Together, they watched as the joints seized and trembled, stretched and filled with power and the mysterious life of the Fazbear data-chip. The wide jaw of the pirate fell open, exposing jagged teeth. A safety hazard, Freddy thought while placing a heavy hand on Maggie's shoulder.

The blips stopped and there was silence in the banquet hall.

Maggie leaned closer as if the sparks of magic and her love could bring these machines to life and all she needed to do was _wish harder_! In the darkness of the hollow eye, a light warmed and brightened until at last, the golden eye was alive.

"Argh, hello there, little matey, and welcome to the Fazbear—"

"That is an unnecessary action," Freddy cut off the opening code of the animatronic's speech. He could remember the first time he was activated. The look of awe and excitement on the Mr. and Mrs. warmed his wires. Surprised and startled at Freddy's desertion from programmed routine, the pirate hesitated a moment before breaking character.

The lid of the pirate's eye fell lazily over the golden light as he huffed, "Can't even let a bloke finish his damn programming, can you? I waited months to say that, you know _that_? Bloody months, and you just take that all away from me—"

"Initiate local drive 10010, access memory core data," Freddy demanded. At the numbers, the pirate stiffened and his gaze became distant. "State your programming."

The sarcastic and spiteful tone of the pirate gave way to something more mechanical and monotonous, reminding Freddy of just how inhuman he was. "Program FBD-002-041, file name: Foxy_the_Pirate(2), beta code 124121…"

"Foxy!" Maggie giggled, breaking the pirate from his electronic trance. "What kind of stories do you know?"

With a questioning glance at Freddy, Foxy leapt from the stage and leaned himself down to get a good look at the girl. "Well, little lass, do you know the great tale of Blackbeard and the day the Jolly Roger met the infamous ghost ship the Pale Lady?"

"She's not old enough to hear this sort of story," Freddy informed Foxy before lightly pulling Maggie away.

With a huff, Foxy stood up and matched gazes with his predecessor. "I'm not an idiot, you puffy sack of fuzz. My servers allow me to identify the median age of my audience, allowing me to gauge what is, and is not, appropriate. I reckon your hard drive isn't even able to handle more than 60MB of audio files, is it, old boy?"

As the tension between them became palpable, Maggie forced herself in between them. "Stop fighting! We're all supposed to be friends!"

Foxy snorted at Freddy before lowering himself back down in front of Maggie, eager to loosen the pout from her lips. "All right, lass, all right. We're all friends."

"Promise?" Maggie pressed, looking for an oath to be sworn.

Raising his hook, the Fox swore, "On my honor as a gentleman, and a pirate."

Maggie's fingers gripped the hook and gave it a shake to seal the promise.

"… do you promise, too, Freddy?"

The bear gave a heavy nod of his head. "Friends."

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The animatronics returned to their stages just in time for the diner to open. That night was Foxy's premiere and he soon became a crowd favorite. With each epic tale spun, and every hook dramatically swung at the audience, Freddy realized the Fazbear family was destined to grow. It was also that night that Foxy began to understand the bond that Maggie and Freddy shared. As the stories passed and the tales began to recycle, only one boy remained at the foot of the stage with eyes full of wonderment. It did not matter how many times Foxy told him the story of the day he got his hook, or how he had to fight a mermaid king—the boy remained while all others trickled back toward Freddy's stage.

As the diner neared its closing hours, the majority of the patrons head out and back onto the cold, snow-ridden streets. Unable to continue his programming, Foxy neared the stage and looked down. "You know, I've been meaning to look for a best mate since I came here. Would you, lad, be interested in joining me on a life full of adventure?"

Confused, the boy looked around to see if the pirate was talking to someone else. At last, he returned his eyes back to the smiling fox and said, "But… I'm just a kid."

"Just a kid?" Foxy echoed with a laugh. "The greatest of adventures first start as small ideas, you know. The size of your boots ain't what counts on the sea, but the size of your heart." Foxy crossed his arms, minding not to stab himself with the point of his hook. "How 'bout it, lad?"

"Yeah… yeah, okay!" The boy excitedly agreed.

"What's your name, boy?" Foxy asked.

"My name's Max!"

"Ahoy, Max," Foxy welcomed him with a grin. "Welcome aboard the S.S Fazbear."

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He looked beneath the workbench again, checked the lockers, and even looked in the back seat of his truck. Repeatedly, he retraced his steps. Did Maria take it home to mend a seam? Maybe Maggie got a hold of it and hid it like she did with Freddy's top hat.

Just where on earth did he put it?

"Maria," Fred called from the backroom.

After a short period of silence, his wife stuck her head through the crack of the door. "What, dear?"

"Have you seen that suit I was working on? I could have sworn I brought it in today," Fred scratched his head. Maybe it was still sitting on the couch at home.

"Which one?" Maria laughed. "You've got so many suits now I can barely keep track."

"The suit for the diner's tenth anniversary, the gold one, I can't find it."

"I'm sure you left it at home, dear. We'll check after we finish cleaning up."

With a deep sigh, Fred lifted himself from the backroom floor and followed his wife back into the banquet hall. He'd just have to look for it tomorrow.

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_Let me know what you think! Thanks for reading! _


	3. They all Came Tumbling Down

_I had a lot of fun writing this one. I'll try to keep getting this out in a constant flow, but with Thanksgiving just around the corner, I might be a bit preoccupied with family. Either way, have a great holiday and be safe if you're traveling. Thanks for reading! _

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_One year later_…

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The stage lights shot on, basking the stage with an intense beam of light only rivaled by that of the brightest star. The diner closed an hour previously, leaving the banquet hall empty, except for the two children who sat at the foremost table with their machinery-based guardians sitting at their sides. The activation had been set, and the show was ready to begin.

"Welcome to the fine establishment of Fazbear's family diner." A deep, eastern voice called out. "Only the best of the best are allowed among us. You should be proud you got far enough to stand before us, the greatest entertainers of our time."

The two machines on the stage shared a glance before gazing out to the darkness behind the stage lights, awaiting orders.

"You've been brought here to prove your worth," The voice continued. "We can't just let any garbage disposal serve under the Fazbear name. Yous' got to be tough! Behind our furry and friendly faces are machines built with grit and power! Prove you deserve to be a part of our crew, and we might just let you join."

"… and if you don't like us?" asked one of the onstage animatronics who bore a great resemblance to a major holiday's mascot.

Teeth bore through a wicked smile before the voice replied in a purr, "We'll figure that out."

"Whose up first?" a boy asked.

"Let's just go right to left," a girl answered. "We'll start with the chicken."

Hesitantly, the chicken stepped toward the microphone. Try as she might to see the faces of the figures sitting beyond the stage lights, she could not. With a hand raised to shield her violet eyes from the stage lights, she asked in a southern twang, "What do y'all want me to do?"

"Your files indicate you are a singer," another voice called. One that was pristine and cultured compared to the roughness of the first voice. "Let us see how well you were assembled."

Through the loud speakers, music began playing and the chicken nodded along to the beat. Colored stage lights strobed back and forth, cascading waterfalls of yellow, pink, and blue lights over the southern chick whose body soon swayed to the music. The voice that came through her sound box was not the same twang she expressed earlier. Her voice was sweet and fluttering like a butterfly caught in a gust of wind. Across the stage, she danced, bobbing and shaking her hips with every note. At the conclusion of her song, she peered out into the audience with a broad and proud smile.

From their chairs, the children stood and clapped, cheering her on.

"Very nice, lass, very nice," the eastern voice commended before turning his attention to the last performer. "Now you, miss… Bonnie, was it? You're up."

Suddenly, the machine named Bonnie tensed and puffed out its chest, as from its mouth came a voice that deferred from the previous assumption of gender. "I am _not_ a miss."

There was a pause.

The sound of shuffling papers sliced the tensed stillness before a loud laugh erupted from the audience.

"You mean to tell me, the old man named you Bonnie… and gave you the wrong parts?!" The pirate cackled. The soft sound of children snickering filled the silence that lingered between the pirate's pauses. The colossal silhouette at the end of the audience remained silent.

"There's nothing wrong with my parts," Bonnie huffed.

"I didn't realize this was a magic show," the pirate started, attempting to hold back a laugh, "Making a crank appear from nothing!"

"Foxy," the large silhouette warned.

As if swayed by his counterpart, the pirate silenced himself.

"Please," the cultured voice insisted, "go on."

With a nod, the mechanical rabbit hopped off the stage and approached the computer terminal at the front of the diner before dismantling its faceplate. From his wrist, Bonnie pulled out his wires and fed it into the central server before using his other hand to type away. After a few moments of silence, he returned to the stage.

Bonnie looked out to the audience as he grabbed a hold of his guitar and connected its wires to his own. Where there once was silence now electronic riffs flooded and shook the diner walls. Bonnie's fingers were unseen as they flickered over the strings and the guitar screamed. The machine's maroon eyes lifted, matching the golden gaze that watched him with resentment as his fingers still danced over the threaded strings. Bonnie swung his arm, forcing the guitar to snarl before dropping his hand and letting the guitar's scream to fade into silence.

A smile pulled at Bonnie's wires before he set down his guitar.

The children leapt from their seats and cheered while the pirate at their side remained seated.

"So," the southern chick asked, hesitantly. "How'd we do?"

The colossal silhouette rose from the audience and made its way to the stage. A suited bear entered the light, a smile shining bright through his vivid, blue eyes before he told them, "Welcome to the Fazbear family. I am Freddy Fazbear."

"I'm Chica," the short, but wide framed female sang, before reaching out to shake the bear's mighty hand.

"Bonnie," the guitarist said from behind as he put down his guitar.

Freddy turned to the audience. "What do you think, Maggie?"

A girl ran up the stage and joined Freddy's side. Chica and Bonnie hesitated as she looked them over with a fierce gaze.

"I think," Maggie started.

The silence had never been louder.

"… they're perfect!"

Leaping forward, Maggie embraced Chica and together they spun. From the other side of the stage, Max approached Bonnie's guitar and admired the electric lights that danced below the strings. As the children engaged the newest members of the family, Freddy returned to where Foxy sat, a twinge of annoyance buzzed behind his lazy eye.

"Why does the old man keep building more? Aren't we good enough?" Foxy softly asked as he saw Max and Bonnie talking about instruments and music.

"We're a family," Freddy responded. "Families grow."

Foxy snorted.

"Max is happy," Freddy commented, looking toward the stage. "That should be all that matters."

"Aye," Foxy said, "Just a wee afraid it won't be me giving him that happiness anymore."

Freddy turned his gaze to Maggie and Chica. Even though it was not he putting that smile on her face, he did not feel jealousy. "So long as their childhoods are filled with happiness and friends, what does it matter who gives it to them?"

Foxy cocked his head back and looked up at his predecessor. Though Foxy's data-chip was technically more advanced than the bear's, he felt inferior to him. It was true this was a family, and Freddy was the father figure that led this group of misfits. If there was only one truth that Foxy knew, it was that Freddy would never misguide him. The pirate released a groan before rising to his feet.

"It's getting late, eh? Best send the babby off."

As Foxy made his way toward Max, Freddy was surprised to find Maggie by his side. Standing in the weight of his shadow, she looked up at him with wide, wondering eyes. Though she was bigger now, he could still remember the day she first realized he was more than just a machine.

"You're going to let me stay a little longer, aren't you, Freddy?" the little girl innocently asked.

With a swift hoist, the suited bear placed the girl atop his shoulders. Her hands rested on the brim of his top hat while she listened to him say, "Mother and Father must be getting worried, Miss Maggie."

"No they're not," Maggie softly mumbled.

"And I believe this one must be going to bed soon." Freddy led them to the stage before placing Maggie gently down on her feet. "I believe Max can see you home."

"Oi, not just yet," Foxy whined as his arms enveloped Max, the hook flipped up to spin in front of the boy's nose. "I barely even got to see the lad tonight."

Freddy turned to Foxy and reminded him, "It is late."

"That's okay, captain. I can take her home." Max said. After grabbing his book bag from one of the banquet hall tables, the boy made his way to Maggie with a smile swelling his freckled cheeks. "Are you ready?"

The little girl nodded, and together they walked toward the doors.

"We'll see you two after the show tomorrow," Freddy called.

"Goodnight, Freddy," Maggie called back. "Goodnight everyone!"

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It was the premiere of Chica and Bonnie's performance. With Freddy's lead, Chica's backup, and Bonnie's smooth guitar riffs—the night was an utmost success. In front of the stage, sitting at the middle banquet table amidst a pile of coloring pages and crayons, Maggie sat and enjoyed the show just as she did every night. Over in Pirate Cove, Foxy regaled his audience with epic tales of danger and might. All was as it should be…

Except Max never came.

Between transitions and breaks, Foxy would scan the crowd in search for a little boy with wild, red hair whose eyes were filled with wonder. Hours slipped by and soon the diner was at its last call. Worry laced the pirate's wires. As the curtains of Pirate Cove slowly closed, Foxy tried to step forward and look through the gap. Max never missed his show, not once. The light faded on Foxy's stage and he was left in darkness.

It was not the only show Max missed. Every night after the lights dimmed and the Fazbears closed the diner, Foxy would walk out to the lobby and look through the frosted glass panes. Was it something he said, Foxy wondered. Had he told him he would be gone? From behind, Freddy and the rest of the band watched as the pirate stood still at the door until morning. When Maggie would head home, she would stop beside the pirate and wrap her fingers around his hook. Together they looked out the glass, standing in silence.

The same routine, every night.

Until the day two police officers came to the diner after closing. Atop their stages, the machines watched as the officers sat down with Fred and Maria as Maggie was sent to help the cooks finished cleaning dishes. They spoke shortly and softly with words of sadness and regret. The photos of four children lay against the tabletop. Bright faces, happy faces. Maria turned into Fred's arms, unable to look at the children that so often came to the diner, children whose names now haunted them.

Two little girls, a little boy… and then…

Breaking routine, Freddy swiftly turned his head to Pirate Cove to see Foxy peeking through the curtains. The gold light in his eye was bright, but the life that lived in his face was gone.

The officers left just as they went, sweeping the warmth of the diner out with them into the wintry streets. A happy day left tainted, a happy world—gone.

Freddy waited until Maria and Fred left, taking Maggie with them—would they tell her? Did she know?—As the front doors shut, the suited bear leapt from the stage and ran toward Pirate Cove. With desperate fistfuls of satin, Freddy threw back the curtains just like he had the day he first met his old friend.

The stage was dark and Foxy stood slumped and still, the light since left his eye allowing him to cascade into the safety of his own servers.

"Foxy," Freddy begged, beckoning him from the darkness. "Please."

The fox was unmoving.

"It will be all right."

"… _all right_…"

Freddy stepped back as he watched Foxy twitch to life. The jagged fingers of the pirate's hand curled into a menacing claw and slowly his hook rose. "…_it will be all right_…"

"Foxy."

Suddenly, the fox sprung to life and tackled Freddy off the stage, his hook swinging at the metalworking beneath the bear's suit.

"I WANTED HIM TO STAY, I WANTED HIM TO BE HERE. THIS IS YOUR FAULT, THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT."

Freddy fought against the fox's swift arms. The hook sliced at his suit, forcing wires to expose and causing battered fluff to rise through the lacerations.

"TELL ME, FREDDY. TELL ME HOW IT'S ALL RIGHT."

Bonnie and Chica rushed down the stage.

Freddy's fingers broke at the collision of the hook. The next swipe sliced them off.

"Please, stop!" Chica cried as she latched herself onto the hooked arm. "Foxy, you'll kill him!"

"I DON'T CARE, I DON'T FUCKING CARE."

Foxy thrashed against Chica's weight, trying to pry his arm away from her. In the brief moment that Foxy's hook was left fruitless of its efforts, Freddy forced himself up against the pirate that straddled his waist. His body cranked back and with all the strength of his beams and pumps, he launched his broken and sharp fist into the pirate's face. Foxy was torn from Chica's grasp and back onto his stage, he flew.

Slowly, Freddy rose from the floor among broken wires and tattered cloth. With a single step, he mounted the stage and neared the seizing fox clutching at its broken jaw.

"No more," Freddy told him with a dark voice.

Rushed and pained noises flooded the pirate's sound box, mechanical misery. Standing over him, Freddy watched as he writhed and moaned. Chica rushed to Foxy and knelt beside him in an attempt to give comfort. Knowing there was no more he could do, Freddy turned to see Bonnie staring at him with a cautious gaze.

Once down onto the banquet floor, Freddy carefully stooped and retrieved his top hat that flew off at the altercation's birth. Though Bonnie's eyes held many questions, Freddy did not feel eager to answer them.

"… I n-need… to patch myself," his sound box faltered.

The bear clumsily pushed himself in the back room, leaving Bonnie to the dangers of his own thoughts.

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_We're getting into it now, folks! I hope the beginning of this wasn't too slow for you. I've been having a blast writing this. Let me know what you think, thanks for reading, and have a good one! _


	4. Let Her Go

_Hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! There's still so much food left over, I don't know what to do with it all, haha. Here's the latest installment, I hope you enjoy!_

_Recommended song: _**Indila S.O.S - Paroles**

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The next week was hard for all of the Fazbears.

Their routines did not end. For hundreds of children they performed with smiles pulled taut on their faces. They laughed and sang and told stories, but they were not the same machines when the lights dimmed and the diner became empty. Foxy no longer left his curtains and Freddy did not try to make him. Every night or so, Chica would peel back the curtain to look at the pirate.

"Please come out," she would beg with such a quiet voice.

Foxy's head would rise only for a moment to look at her. Though far for human with a heart made only of wire and electric pulses, there stained a deep sadness in the gold of the pirate's eye. Without a response, the fox's head lowered and he returned to the dark of his forced shutdown.

The officers returned with more questions. Freddy would listen as they talked to Maria and Fred. There were no leads, no suspects. Out beyond the warmth of the diner, there stalked a monster. The world was its playground and children, the prey. At night, when Maggie would come to see her secret friends, the horrible beliefs of the officers and the possibilities of what happened to the children haunted Freddy. He looked upon her face, curled his fingers into her hair, and knew that he could not protect her past the stage lights. The thought of losing her…

No, he could not bear the thought.

At last, he came to a decision.

"… hello, can you hear me?" Maggie waved her hand in front of the bear's eyes.

Freddy came back from his thoughts and looked down to the little girl laughing at the look of confusion on his face. Still, she busied herself, never minding the hesitation that her mechanical companion fought with.

"Maggie," Freddy called softly, stopping her from traveling too far from his side. When her big eyes rose to meet his, he could not find the words to say. When he looked into the eyes his own were modeled after, he felt weak.

The little girl collected more of her toys she kept in the toy box hidden behind the counter and spread them out across the table. The last story she had become enamored over was a story of a knight and the princess he protected. It was Foxy that controlled the fire-breathing dragon that stood against them.

And Max that played their friend the wizard.

Freddy needed to do this.

"… thinking of what the knight and princess—"

"I don't want you to come to see us anymore."

The toys fell from Maggie's hands as she looked up to Freddy, unsure of what she just heard. She was quiet while Freddy mulled over his words.

"I can't lose you, Miss Maggie," the machine confessed. Fear and love were emotions she gave to him. The curse of humanity that _she _put on him. "It's not safe anymore."

"What are you saying?" Maggie asked, her voice trembling.

"We shall always be friends," Freddy quickly consoled her, knowing well the storm that now brewed. "And you will still see us when mother and father bring you to the diner, but it's not…"

"Why don't you want to see me anymore?" Maggie's voice, elevating.

"That's not—"

Maggie pushed at the table she sat at and flew from her chair. With little fists, she rubbed at her eyes and sprinted down one of the diner's corridors. From the stage, Bonnie and Chica watched the display.

"Poor dear," Chica whispered, sweetly.

"It's for the best," Bonnie commented, stepping back to fetch his guitar.

Freddy turned his head toward Pirate Cove to see Foxy peering out with a solemn, but understanding frown. Steeling himself against the pain he felt at every tear the child shed, Freddy lifted his large body from the banquet table and made way after Maggie. The back corridors were quiet and dark. Normally, Maggie did not like wandering off into the darkness. This news must have upset her more than he anticipated. After cutting across a few hallways, Freddy came to the last room of the building where he heard the faint sound of weeping.

The bear approached the security door and attempted the doorknob—locked. His blue eyes flickered up to peak through the glass only to see darkness.

"Maggie," he called so softly. "It's me."

"_Go away_."

"Let me in," Freddy begged, trying to keep himself strong.

A few moments of stillness passed before the door slowly creaked open. Freddy's eyes followed the tile until he saw the swivel chair sitting before many small monitors still flickering with life. Upon that chair, wrapped in a large security jacket, was Freddy's little girl.

"Why don't you want to see me anymore?" She whimpered against the flesh of her arm, refusing to look at him.

Freddy slowly stepped into the room, minding his head at the small doorway. "That's not it at all," he told her as he knelt beside the chair. "Maggie, you are the light of my world. You mean so much to me and there's nothing that I want more than your safety."

"Safety from what?"

Freddy hesitated; his eyes looked toward the large jacket she wore, the jacket for a man. "I… don't know yet." He returned his gaze to her and lifted one of his hands to curl beneath her chin. Gently, he turned her head toward him. "You will still see me every day, but at night I want you to stay home… where you're safe."

Maggie wiped her hand at the tears still clinging to her lashes. "O-okay."

Freddy pushed his mouth lightly on her brow, if to leave a kiss, as her mother and father would do in light of her tears. He may not have the lips to do so, or the feeling, but somewhere in his wires he believed he knew what the warmth of her brow felt like.

"Come along, little miss." Freddy whispered as he scooped her into his arms and held her close to his chest. "It is getting dark outside."

He did not expect her to know the weight of his decision to stray her from the diner, but one day he hoped she might. She was not vacant of sadness or anger for him making the decision, but she would learn to trust him. While still holding tight to her body, Freddy leaned over the table in the banquet hall in order to fetch her floral printed backpack. With both in hand, he carried her to the door and set her gently down.

"This isn't a goodbye," he told her. "We'll see each other again tomorrow."

Maggie did not speak, but she nodded in agreement. With her coat and backpack on, Freddy sent her out the doors on her quiet venture home.

"… it will be all right."

Freddy turned to see Foxy leaning against the threshold of the banquet hall with heavy eyes. The suited bear closed their distance before saying, "I'm so sorry."

Foxy did not bother to force a smile or accept the words of commiseration, but instead said, "She's all we got left, you know?"

"I know," Freddy sorrowfully agreed.

"Take care of her," Foxy told him as he massaged his still broken jaw. "For your own sake…"

With that, the two parted. Foxy returned to the darkness of his stage at Pirate Cove, and Freddy to his. The feeling of loneliness drifted past as regret for his ultimate decision found no place among his bolts and wires. _It is for the best_, he told himself.

Routine, another day...

The lights flickered off.

Curtains closed and Freddy closed his eyes.

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_**BANG, BANG, BANG, BANG**_.

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_**BANG, BANG**_

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Freddy's eyes opened.

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_**BANG. BANG. BANG.**_

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Freddy lost himself for a moment as he looked around the darkness that befell the banquet hall. Still, the booming knocks echoed across the empty diner. At this time, Chica and Bonnie had awoken with the same distress.

"Freddy?" Chica warily asked.

The bear looked at his concerned friends and quickly set off in chase of the noise. He looked about the hall, seeing that now Foxy had awoken.

"What the bloody hell is that?" Foxy groaned, as he had not been fond of turning on power during his shutdown.

Freddy's eyes kept dancing across the walls until he followed the light of a streetlamp shining dimly through the front door. Twisting and dark against the light was Maggie, banging on the glass door.

"Maggie?" Freddy started, confused and concerned.

She turned, her back against the door as another figure approached. The large shadow swallowed that of the little girl.

The dark realization fired like a spark through his wires and the whites of his eyes turned dark. Quickly, the machine sprinted at the door where the shadows violently danced. Unable to control the innate need programmed by Mr. Fazbear to protect his children, Freddy bowed himself in before shattering through the glass and metal. The glass screamed before spitting onto the street. Towering, the bear stepped over the child and approached the man who now cowered back under the spray of glass.

"_Shit_—_Mike_!" the man shouted, unable to tear his eyes away from the possessed machine.

Freddy did not see the car that whipped down the street and came to an immediate stop behind the terrified man. The window rolled down and another man looked out.

"Jeremy, get in!"

Before the man could lift from the ground, Freddy threw down his balled fists and struck the man. The driver backed up before jamming his foot on the gas. The car lurched and swept against the raging machine. Freddy tumbled back, twisting against the pavement before realizing the car, and the men, were gone.

He rose slowly. The suit masking his endoskeleton fell loose and tattered against his metal bone. His cheek was maimed, the teeth of the mechanical frame gleaming in the streetlight. Freddy turned to see Maggie cowering against the lamppost with gaping eyes and tear stained cheeks. He approached her and offered his hand down to her.

Terrified, Maggie withdrew from him and ran inside the diner.

Softly, the bear's hand fell to his side as he looked upon the glass still intact on the diner's entrance. He did not look like the friendly bear she befriended so long ago. He looked like a _monster_.

Freddy returned to the banquet hall where the others waited. Upon seeing him, they hesitated in shock before rushing to catch him before he fell. Freddy could not hear the questions they asked him or watch as they laid him against the workbench and began the task of fixing his broken beams. All he could do was see Maggie's gaping eyes and see how scared she was to look at him.

"W-where is she?" Freddy asked, his voice box stuttering and cutting out.

"She ran to the kitchen," Chica said. "She's probably callin' mama."

"Or the police," Foxy said with a sharp gaze to Freddy.

The bear was not eager to fight. After what had happened, he did not imagine he would have much power left to do anything.

For now, he closed his eyes and let his friends take him apart for repair.

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_Thanks for reading! Let me know what you think in a quick, little review! Have a good one everybody. _


	5. The Last Bow

_Hey... you there... thanks for reading this. I always knew you were my favorite. :) Enjoy! _

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><p>.<p>

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Freddy was drifting in and out. Warnings flashed across his eyes, his shutdown was imminent. Attempting to preserve energy to speak, the bear let his limbs go weak. His eyes rolled at his side where he found Foxy cutting wires and removing damaged beams. "F-f-f-foxy," Freddy stuttered, "g-get M-M-Maggie…"

"You need my attention more," Foxy fought as he twisted himself to find a wrench among the mess of Mr. Fazbear's toolboxes. "Chica, go fetch the lass, would ya?"

"Why, yessir," Chica said before springing onto her feet.

The southern chick flew from the room, leaving the tensed silence between the oldest of machines. Freddy's mouth opened, words buzzing through his damaged voice box, but Foxy quickly stunted them. "She'll be here in a minute. You're lucky, all things considered."

_Chica hummed that old song, bouncing with every step as she made way to the kitchen._

"I-I-I… need… t-t-t-t-o… see her."

_Her hand lifted, pushing back the swinging door to see the exit door opened wide at the back of the kitchen. The hum froze in her wires._

Foxy paused a moment to watch the trembling and labored effort the damaged ringleader made just to keep awake. "You're not a spring chicken anymore, old man. It will be all right. Catch a wink before she comes. I'll explain it to the lass; she'll understand… she's a smart girl."

"I-I-I… need to s-s-s-see her," Freddy begged, desperately forcing every bit of energy into his voice box.

_Chica walked forward, ignoring the phone that now lay upon the floor. She did not hear the voice on the other end. Violet eyes, flickering brighter with electronic tears, followed the splotches of blood dancing against the tile. She exited the diner, her eyes turning to the alleyway. _

"And you will," Foxy replied. "We're progressing to your internal servers. You want us to patch you up; I need you to shutdown for just a minute. It shouldn't take long, mate."

"F-fine," Freddy surrendered.

"Rest easy, we'll find her," Foxy's voice whispered as Freddy descended into the peaceful world of darkness and silence.

_Chica's hands trembled as they reached up to cover the scream crackling through her voice box._

His power faded, and he fell into a slumber.

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_We'll find her_.

The words Freddy last heard before his reboot. By the time he had gained enough power to initiate his power-up, he had heard those words again. It was not Foxy who spoke them now, nor was it Bonnie or Chica. _We'll find her_. The officer placed a comforting hand upon Fred's shoulder as Maria collapsed to a chair in a fit of tears. There were more policemen now than ever before. Flashes of cameras recorded the designs shattered glass made. Yellow tape strung the kitchen doors to prevent invasive journalists from knowing too much.

Freddy felt a stray shock of electricity course his metal bones. He felt a meltdown, an overheat, flickering the sight from his eyes and dimming the world beyond his redirected the power surges. A system default, his failsafe. No matter how hard he tried to focus himself onto cooling down his processors, the stabbing images of Maggie's dirtied face and horror-struck eyes haunted his wires like spectral reveries of regret.

_I need to find her._

"…I need to find her."

By the time Freddy was able to open his eyes and see again, the diner was dark and empty. The garish strips of police tape still decorated the walls and chairs, doing nothing now but collecting dust. Beside Freddy, the other machines waited. His head slowly swiveled to see them.

"They're closing down the diner," Foxy told him.

The bear hesitated.

"Freddy," Chica called. Her wide eyes held fear of the unknown, her body trembled. "What are we going to do?"

"I need to find Maggie," Freddy said before making his way to the end of the stage.

Foxy was quick behind him, using the curve of his hook to latch safely around the suited bear's arm. The pirate lifted his eye patch, exposing his other golden eye before speaking truly, and fearfully. "Freddy… she's _gone_."

"No, she's not."

"_Freddy_."

"She's not," Freddy stressed. "I need to find her."

Foxy lowered his gaze, listening to the uneven steps the bear took toward the stairs. Unable to continue his silence, the pirate shook his head and said. "Our power's gone, Freddy. The old man turned our chargers off. We'll all power down shortly."

"You're _**lying**_," Freddy shielded his aching wires with anger.

"I'm not," Foxy sadly admitted. "I don't want you out there on the street. We're a bloody family, mate. If we're going down… we should go together."

"No, no, no, no, no, no, NO!" Freddy barreled himself into a banquet table, up-heaving and tossing it aside. His limbs trembled with power, justified and vengeful power. His heavy fists slammed down onto the tile floor, splitting a few tiles at impact. Trembling with too many emotions he knew not how to control, Freddy fell to his rear and looked down at the fists he clutched. "I… n-need to find her…"

"I know." Foxy replied softly. "I know."

"I can't… l-l-l-l-lose her…"

On the stage, Bonnie and Chica approached. At the trembling sight of the frightened southerner, Bonnie set down his guitar and took up her hands with a comforting smile. Chica weakly smiled back before leaning her head upon the rabbit's chest. Freddy looked up to these familiar faces. The rabbit, the chicken, and the fox… Maggie. His family, the ones he swore to protect, but he couldn't—no, _he didn't_. He didn't protect them when they truly needed him.

He failed them all.

"...goodbye, dears." Chica whispered tearfully.

"Bye, Chica." Bonnie whispered back before he watched the light fade from her eyes.

Foxy walked up to the bear sitting on the banquet floor. Behind him, the rabbit descended into his dreams, holding Chica tight. Across from him, Foxy sat before quietly saying, "We did our best, Freddy."

Freddy could not muster the words to say.

"We'll see each other again," Foxy told him in the face of his tormented silence. "This isn't a goodbye."

Wires frayed and the meltdown began again as all that Freddy felt was guilt and sorrow as he looked up at his old friend. A smile found its way on the fox's mouth before the gold light slowly faded from his eyes. In that moment, beneath the weight of ruin and hatred looming over the broken bear, Freddy was alone. His eyes scanned the stage before him where Bonnie and Chica fell into their sleep in the comfort of each other's arms. Before them, the fox slept with an accepting smile. Last, was _him_. He was given the curse of facing the world of regrets and being reminded of his shortcomings.

"I-I promise."

Exhaustion slowly rolled over his wires. His worn and weary body begged for rest.

"I promise… I'll find them… all of them."

The oath was his last thought, as he followed his friends into the darkness.

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The Fazbears never returned to the diner.

An auction was held for the purchase of any of the diner's appliances, furniture, or set items. There were only four items that were not allowed for sale—the animatronics. Offers were still made and barters began in a fight over the fate of the machines, but no one could get in contact with the owners who were believed to have left town. A few years passed, and the diner remained vacant. The 'for sale' sign hanging on the repaired windows of the front door had long since faded and a layer of dust shrouded anything left in the Fazbear's tomb. The establishment was left tainted, corrupted by the disaster that struck the community all those years ago. A crime left unsolved.

The machines decayed and were collected for scrap. With their removal from the old diner, perhaps the community could at least heal and put the past behind them.

It was a fresh start, a period of peace.

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_bbbbrrrzzz…_

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_bbzzzzrp… whirp…. chhhhhrp. Blip._

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Inside a small dark room, blue eyes flickered with life.

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Purple streams of tears ran down from gaping, black eyes. In the darkness, a white, smiling face danced.

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A soft musical laugh. Twinkling, like the melody of a music box.

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"**_Welcome home, Freddy_**."

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**_The End_**

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><p><em>Whoa! Was that an open-ending? ... An open-ending that will totally have a sequel about Freddy awakening in the pizzeria of the second game? ... You know... I guess we'll just have to see. :) Thank you everyone for reading this. This was definitely a fun, little journey. I really loved writing this one, and I hope you really loved reading! Have a good one, and thank you all again! You're the bests! <em>


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